Downton to return for series five | News | Downton Abbey Downton to return for series five 10:22 - 23 Jan 2014 Ladies and Gentlemen, we're delighted to announce that Downton Abbey will be back for a phenomenal fifth series. Audience figures for the fourth series have hit an average 11.8 million viewers – making it the highest rated drama on television in 2013. Once again Julian Fellowes will be putting pen to paper as writer of the new series and will continue Executive Producing duties with Gareth Neame and Liz Trubridge. We promise all the usual highs and lows, romance, drama and comedy played out by some of the most iconic characters on television. All the actors and makers of the show continue to be humbled by the extraordinary audience response and want to take the show from strength to strength next year. – Gareth Neame, Executive Producer You can catch up with the Downton Abbey Christmas Special on ITV Player.

The two hour feature episode sees Shirley MacLaine reprise her role as Martha Levinson and Paul Giamatti joins the cast as Cora's playboy brother, Harold along side the much loved regular characters of the show. Let us know what you think of this exciting news on the official Facebook and Twitter pages. Downton Abbey show gets second series - BBC News BBC News Downton Abbey show gets second series 12 October 2010 Image caption The Sunday night drama was written and created by Oscar-winning Julian Fellowes A new series of costume drama Downton Abbey has been commissioned, ITV has announced. The first episode of the series in September, starring Dame Maggie Smith, attracted an average audience of 8.8 million people, confirmed TV figures show. The new eight-part series is expected to be broadcast next year. The drama also broke the record for a single episode viewing on ITV's online catch-up service. The Sunday night drama was written and created by Oscar-winning Julian Fellowes.

ITV's director of drama commissioning Laura Mackie said: "We're delighted with the audience response to Downton Abbey and the positive critical reaction." War declared as Upstairs, Downstairs creator fires volley at Downton Abbey | Television & radio | The Guardian War declared as Upstairs, Downstairs creator fires volley at Downton Abbey Trouble began when Jean Marsh suggested Downton Abbey was a thinly-disguised facsimile of original Upstairs, Downstairs Cast members of the new Upstairs, Downstairs (from left): Neil Jackson, Jean Marsh, Anne Reid, Nico Mirallegro, Ellie Kendrick and Art Malik. Photograph: BBC Thursday 16 December 2010 14.48 EST First published on Thursday 16 December 2010 14.48 EST Close This article is 6 years old In the genteel world of TV costume drama, any tensions are usually scripted – and fictional. But an unlikely spat has broken out between Jean Marsh, actor and co-creator of Upstairs, Downstairs – which will return to BBC1 this Christmas – and Hugh Bonneville, star of rival ITV Edwardian drama Downton Abbey .

Hackles were raised when Marsh suggested that Downton Abbey, one of the unexpected hits of the year, was a thinly-disguised facsimile of the original Upstairs, Downstairs, which ran from 1971 to 1975 and has been watched by an estimated 1 billion people worldwide. "I think we were all surprised," Marsh told BBC1's The One Show. "The new Upstairs, Downstairs had been in the works for about three years. We were trying to sort out … 40 years of rights and then it also started – Downton Abbey – in the Edwardian era, which Upstairs, Downstairs did. So it might be a coincidence and I might be the queen of Belgium." Bonneville, who plays the Earl of Grantham in the ITV drama, replied on Twitter: "I thought Jean Marsh was bigger than that – running down Downton while bigging up Upstairs? Downton never downed Up when upping Down. "The consensus seems to be that Ms Marsh needs a big huggle in the friendly chair.

"Last thing we need is a face-off at the Albert memorial." Dame Eileen Atkins, who co-created Upstairs, Downstairs with Marsh and will appear alongside her in the new series, joined the fray at the programme's launch at the British Film Institute in London yesterday. Asked what she thought of the timing of Downton, which finished last month, Atkins said: "At first I thought it was a bit of a bore, quite frankly. "As it happens, I think they laid out the groundwork quite nicely. What was a little worry is now not a worry at all." The rivalry between the two shows is given added piquancy by the fact that Upstairs, Downstairs was originally broadcast on ITV. The commercial broadcaster passed on the option of a remake, preferring to invest in Downton Abbey, created by the Oscar-winning scriptwriter of Gosford Park, Julian Fellowes. The show, which also starred Dame Maggie Smith, gained viewers and plaudits in almost equal measure, finishing its run with an audience of more than 10 million. It was one of ITV's biggest hits of the year and has already been commissioned for a second series.

The BBC has invested heavily in Upstairs, Downstairs, which also stars Keeley Hawes and Art Malik. Three hour-long episodes will air on consecutive nights on BBC1 , beginning on Boxing Day. The scheduling means the show should benefit from the increased number of viewers watching at home over the holiday period. One ITV executive wondered if the decision to screen the drama over three nights was a sign of confidence – or a lack of it. BBC executives will be hopeful of matching Downton Abbey's 10 million viewers, as will the show's production team members, who are still waiting to find out if it will be given a second series. Writer and executive producer Heidi Thomas described the new adaptation as a "glorious Christmas present for the nation". The ratings battle will begin in earnest with the second instalment, on 27 December, which will go head to head with ITV's Miss Marple, starring Julia McKenzie and Edward Fox. The saga of the rival costume dramas? It promises to be a gripping tale. ITV confirms sixth series of Downton Abbey will be its last after flagging ratings | Daily Mail Online comments The doors to Downton Abbey are finally closing.

Carnival Films and ITV have announced that there will be no return to the famous home of the Crawley family after the sixth season airs, as they want to end on a high. Downton Abbey has been a huge international success, selling to broadcasters around the world, but its ratings in Britain had started flagging. NBC Universal, which owns the production company behind the show, said in an internal note to staff that the long-running drama was ‘approaching its natural conclusion’. Scroll down for video Over: ITV has confirmed series six of Downton Abbey will be the last for the popular period drama The internal note, seen by the Daily Mail, said: ‘Whilst we are all sad to see Julian Fellowes and Gareth Neame’s unique drama approaching its natural conclusion, the difficult decision has been taken to wrap up production while the show is still at its peak – in popularity, as well as in the quality of the storylines and the series overall. ‘Rather than allow any further media speculation about the show’s future, we want to use today’s announcement to build anticipation for the momentous final season’. RELATED ARTICLES Share this article Share At its height, more than 9.51million viewers sat down to watch the drama.

However, by the opening episode of the last season, that figure had dropped to 8.43million. 'Inevitably there comes a time when all shows should end and Downton is no exception,' Executive Producer of Downton Abbey, Gareth Neame said in a statement on Thursday. December: Downton Abbey is set to conclude with a Christmas special later this year, according to Hugh Bonneville Altogether: The Downton Abbey Series 6 read through held at the The Savoy Hotel in London Final days: Michelle Dockery and Laura Carmichael during the read through on March 26 'We wanted to close the doors of Downton Abbey when it felt right and natural for the storylines to come together and when the show was still being enjoyed so much by its fans.

'We can promise a final season full of all the usual drama and intrigue, but with the added excitement of discovering how and where they all end up.' Rumours about the end of Downton Abbey had been gathering pace earlier this year, after a number of its actors are lining up work in America and Mr Fellowes, its creator has made no secret of the fact that he is working on a 19th century drama set in New York. 'The Downton journey has been amazing for everyone aboard,' said Fellowes, 'people ask if we knew what was going to happen when we started to make the first series and the answer is that, of course we had no idea. Captain of the ship: Executive producer and writer Lord Julian Fellowes, who is now working on an American show Out with a bang: Jim Carter, Dame Maggie Smith and Jeremy Swift going through what will surely be a great send off for the popular show Success: Downton Abbey is the highest rating UK drama of the past decade across any channel 'Exactly why the series had such an impact and reached so many people around the world, all nationalities, all ages, all types, I cannot begin to explain.

But I do know how grateful we are to have been allowed this unique experience.' Downton Abbey is the highest rating UK drama of the past decade across any channel, with an average of 11 million viewers over the course of the five series, including Christmas specials. The period drama is the most nominated British show in Emmy history, with 51 nominations to date, collecting 11 wins as well as amassing nearly 30 other major accolades around the world, including three Golden Globes, three Screen Actors Guild Awards, a Producers Guild of America Award, three BAFTA awards and three National Television Awards. Acclaimed: The period drama is the most nominated British show in Emmy history Filming for the sixth series has been taking place in the glorious location of Lacock in Wiltshire. Lacock is a popular destination for tourists, and the National Trust-run area is also a regular choice for TV and movie filming, with films such as Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince being shot there. On Friday Michelle Dockery, was seen kitted up as her character Lady Mary as she filmed alongside the likes of Joanne Froggatt, Hugh Bonneville and Elizabeth McGovern in Lacock.

Downton Abbey is set to conclude with a Christmas special later this year, according to Bonneville. Filming: Michelle Dockery was seen filming for the final series in Wiltshire on Friday Goodbye: NBC Universal, which owns the production company behind the show, said in an internal note to staff that the long-running drama was ‘approaching its natural conclusion' Downton Abbey, Series 5, ITV | The Arts Desk Home > tv > Downton Abbey, Series 5, ITV Downton Abbey, Series 5, ITV | reviews, news & interviews Downton Abbey, Series 5, ITV Downton Abbey, Series 5, ITV On this evidence, there's still plenty of life in Lord Fellowes's beloved national institution by Adam Sweeting Monday, 22 September 2014 Share Will Lady Mary (Michelle Dockery) seal the deal with Tony Gillingham (Tom Cullen)? As unavoidable as death and taxes, as inevitable as the rotation of the seasons, Downton Abbey has created the illusion of time-hallowed permanence in a mere four years.

It is often asked how long Julian Fellowes can keep up his script-writing heroics (if it was an American show he'd be marshalling a writing team of dozens), but this opener to series five was so playfully deft and thunderously enjoyable that you'd have to conclude that Downton has become Fellowes's personal fountain of youth. The trick is to embrace change while remaining solidly rooted in Downton's dynastic saga. What Fellowes does particularly well is to use authentic historical events as grist to his narrative mill without allowing them to overpower his characters (a fatal flaw in the likes of the recent-ish Upstairs Downstairs or The Mill). Thus, Ramsay MacDonald's 1924 election as Britain's first Labour Prime Minister was used to prod Hugh Bonneville 's Earl of Grantham into some dyspeptic grumbling about a government "committed to the destruction of people like us and everything we stand for," but also to elicit more sympathetic responses from both the below-stairs staff and the Earl's daughters. The show somehow manages to endorse the fundamental conservatism of the Crawleys and their milieu while filtering it through a gauze of fashionable liberalism.

You know it could never have happened, but it gives Fellowes bags of dramatic licence. Downton has suffered some misfiring episodes in the past, with plots seemingly flung together in a panic and the gaps patched over with ludicrous coincidences, but this one hummed along like a vintage Bentley as we re-made our acquaintance with the household. Lady Mary ( Michelle Dockery ) seems to be edging towards an understanding with ardent suitor Tony Gillingham (Tom Cullen), though I doubt the bookies are planning to pay out just yet. Meanwhile genteel hostilities were resumed between Maggie Smith 's Dowager Countess and bossy Isobel Crawley ( Penelope Wilton ), as the Dowager moved smartly to intercept a potential union between Isobel and Lord Merton by planting the widowed Lady Shackleton (Harriet Walter) in between them. "You've gone to a lot of trouble," said Mrs Crawley icily. "I like to help where I can," smirked the Dowager. The Earl, who has never quite got over being sidelined from fighting in World War One, found his psychological scars being picked open when the village war memorial committee chose Carson the butler as its chairman instead of him.

Carson was ambivalent, not to mention sonorously philosophical - "I feel a shaking of the ground I stand on... the nature of life is not permanence but flux." The Earl's humour was not improved when local schoolteacher Sarah Bunting (Daisy Lewis, pictured above) ruined his wedding anniversary dinner with an attack on the waste and futility of the war. "She is not allowed that opinion, not in this house," he fumed. He later vented his exasperation on the hapless footman Molesley, who had been dyeing his hair an unsuitable shade of blue. No 90-minute series opener would be complete without a major crisis, and this one duly peaked with a full-scale conflagration, caused by a crass breach of health and safety guidelines by Lady Edith (still moping over her AWOL lover, though her daughter Marigold is being secretly raised by Mr and Mrs Drewe on their farm). "Save the dog!" bellowed the Earl, as he seized control of the situation.

It was dynamic stuff, though Lord Fellowes took the lustre off it slightly by permitting the ever-scheming Thomas (Robert James-Collier, pictured above) to rehabilitate himself amid the flames only moments after being on the brink of getting the sack. This pantomime villain is obviously a job for life. No 90-minute series opener would be complete without a major crisis, and this one duly peaked with a full-scale conflagration 'Downton Abbey' did more to push TV into a new golden age than any other show - LA Times 'Downton Abbey' did more to push TV into a new golden age than any other show 'Downton Abbey' Matthew Lloyd / For the Times Taking a break while filming Season 3 of "Downton Abbey" are Allen Leech, from left, Michelle Dockery, Dan Stevens and Hugh Bonneville. Taking a break while filming Season 3 of "Downton Abbey" are Allen Leech, from left, Michelle Dockery, Dan Stevens and Hugh Bonneville. (Matthew Lloyd / For the Times) Mary McNamara Contact Reporter Los Angeles Times Television Critic When speaking of the 21st century television renaissance, certain shows are considered canon.

"Mad Men," "Breaking Bad," "Game of Thrones," "Homeland," "The Walking Dead," "Glee," "Modern Family" and "The Good Wife" all debuted at a time when conventional wisdom had put TV on life-support, the perceived victim of reality programming and the smartphone revolution. Individually and collectively, they proved all the grim prognostications wrong. But no series did it as vividly, broadly and utterly unexpectedly as "Downton Abbey." Julian Fellowes' gorgeous drawing-room soap, which ends Sunday night, seemed to come out of nowhere, galloping in (if not on a white horse, then at least a lovely yellow Lab named Isis), to save "Masterpiece," PBS and the fading belief that a broad demographic crossover was still possible for a scripted drama with a PG rating and no forensic specialist in sight. FULL COVERAGE: 'Downton Abbey' news, features and intrique In actuality, it came from Britain's ITV where, as a seemingly natural extension of Fellowes' Oscar-winning script for "Gosford Park," it had already been an enormous hit.

Even so, the nearly instantaneous delirium that greeted its January 2011 debut in the States, where the PBS brand was so faded that KCET had severed ties just a few months before, took everyone by surprise. Viewers who tuned in hoping for an updated "Upstairs, Downstairs," or just the sight of Maggie Smith, were soon talking up the show with as much hyperbolic rhapsody as any "Mad Men" fan or Gleek. A behind-the-scenes look at the cast and crew of Downton Abbey's season six. Obsessive devotion to a television show was still, in general, a relatively new concept. "Downton," with its tea-sipping, shirt-stud-choosing, "Oh, must I wear full mourning, Papa?" mien, seemed the antithesis of fan culture. Never mind its lack of blood, guts, undead, bared breasts, brothels or profanity. Two men did kiss in the second episode, but anything approaching sex occurred strictly off-stage. Historic tragedies were referenced, but conspiracies were mostly confined to schemes involving ambitious footmen (and later, those troublesome Irish, who eventually came 'round).

It seemed, in theory anyway, aimed at the early bird frequenters of art-house theaters, people who could name all the Merchant/Ivory films, chronologically. Yet as with so many large and seemingly immovable forces that encountered Smith's Lady Violet and the rest of Downton's inhabitants, the demographics fell like dominoes. "Downton Abbey" proved that drama didn't have to be dark...or revolve around some ill-shaven antihero to be popular and good, which was part of the reason it was so popular. — Mary McNamara, Los Angeles Television Critic Women, men, young, old, rich, poor, television fanatics and television illiterates — most everyone loved "Downton." They loved Smith and Lady Violet's tart tongue; they loved the snotty Lady Mary (Michelle Dockery) and her spats with sulky Lady Edith (Laura Carmichael); they loved the limping but stoic Bates ( Brendan Coyle ) and his burgeoning romance with Anna (Joanne Froggatt). They loved using the word "valet" with a hard "t" and learning the intricacies of an entailment.

More than anything, perhaps, fans loved the richly detailed loveliness of life at Downton almost as much as did those who lived there. Far from the biting satire that was "Gosford Park," "Downton" quickly settled into a mildly liberal and highly sentimental period drama. In the year approaching (and then those following) World War I, the "old ways" appeared on the cusp of radical change. A look at some of the "Downton Abbey" cast without their Edwardian Era garb. (By Andrea Wang) Electricity, the telephone, women's suffrage, political unrest all touched the characters of "Downton," albeit lightly enough to keep the dinner candles lighted, the gleaming silver perfectly in place. With an obvious soft spot for the aristocracy, Fellowes quickly became the master of artisanal, aspirational history. The Martha Stewart of period drama. Just as quickly, "Downton Abbey" became PBS' first bona-fide hit in years.

It won six Emmys in its first season (which was entered in the movie or miniseries category) and was soon racking up numbers that outpaced those of many hit shows on cable and broadcast networks (more than 10 million tuned in for the premieres of Seasons 4, 5 and 6). Together with "Mad Men," "Downton" launched a thousand period dramas; suddenly, we were all discovering things we did not know about the history of sanitation disposal and early forms of birth control. Even HBO took note; the premium cable titan aired BBC's "Parade's End" in 2013 (which may be the first and only time HBO took a page from the PBS playbook). Unlike many networks, PBS already knew a thing or two about merchandising, and soon those Signal catalogs were filled with "Downton"-related merchandise. Highclere Castle became a vacation destination, while venues from the local tea shop to the Queen Mary began staging "Downton" events. More than anything, perhaps, fans loved the richly detailed loveliness of life at Downton almost as much as did those who lived there.

— Mary McNamara, Los Angeles Television Critic A standout even in the new "golden age," the show was increasingly referenced on talk shows, in the news and by characters on other shows. In 2014, when George Clooney starred in a spoof for Britain's Text Santa fundraiser, it seemed to have hit full market saturation. Until LeBron James talked about it in "Trainwreck." "We watching 'Downton Abbey' later?" he asks his friend, played by Bill Hader. "I'm watching it tonight because I'm not going to practice and all the guys are talking about it, and I'm left out." When a PBS series about fictitious post-Edwardian aristocrats and their staff becomes an inside joke made by an NBA star in a movie by Judd Apatow and starring Amy Schumer, something very big has happened. Like so many shows that debuted in the early 21st century, "Downton Abbey" brought cinematic grandeur to the flat screen; but unlike other series, in which an Oscar winner might direct or write an episode or two, Fellowes remained the show's only writer, one of if not the first, of TV's new auteurs.

The singleness of his vision most certainly led to its tendency toward repetition (How many fortunes can one man inherit? Are the Bateses truly cursed?), but it also created an air of consistency. "Downton" proved that drama didn't have to be dark or bloody or revolve around some ill-shaven antihero to be popular and good, which was part of the reason it was so popular. Britain's Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge, visits the set of ITV's television series "Downton Abbey" at Ealing Studios in west London on March 12, 2015. (Nardine Saad) Prestige dramas increasingly shared a penchant for grit and grime, both literal and metaphorical. Neither of which were allowed to mar the glorious sheen of "Downton," or at least not for very long. Just as soot and dust were whisked away as soon as they were spotted, the ugliness of homophobia, adultery, anti-Semitism or the limits of medicine were referenced and then we all moved into the dining room for dinner. Or onto the grounds for the local fair. What a relief to know that it was all, mostly, going to come around all right.

And while much of that new golden age involved platforms either new (Netflix, Amazon) or renovated (AMC and virtually every niche cable station), "Downton" came from PBS, the platform voted Most Likely to Fall in the new youth-'n'-their-gadgets-driven market. Even its luck in obtaining the U.S. rights to "Sherlock" hadn't helped much, until "Downton" reminded everyone just how splendid Sunday nights with "Masterpiece" could be. And though there's no use arguing that "Downton" had the same audience as "The Walking Dead" or "Game of Thrones," there was probably more crossover than you'd think. Like the Crawley estate, television's landscape was saved from bankruptcy by its ability to change, to realize there's no real difference between upstairs and down — all stories have value, if you tell them properly. -------------------------- News | Downton Abbey Downton Abbey Give us a twirl Bruce A star-studded line-up will feature in a one-off Downton Abbey comedy sketch for Text Santa. Entertainment legend Bruce Forsyth is the first celebrity guest to be announced for the special show which will air on December 18th on ITV.

In the scene, the cast are auditioning for a Downton Father Christmas and Bruce is keen to play the part. Will Lord Grantham give him the job? You'll have to watch and see. Didn't he do well... Time to say goodbye: Watch the series 6 trailer in full 18:00 - 29 Aug 2015 You'll need your stiff upper lip as we reveal what to expect from the final series of Downton Abbey. One thing's for sure - it's going to be emotional. Enjoy a taste of what is to come and watch to the end to find out when the first episode will air. First look! Watch brand new Downton Abbey 15:54 - 27 Aug 2015 Can't wait for Downton Abbey to return to your screens? Then we have a real treat for you. Take a peek at a brand new scene from series six featuring our favourite frenemies going head-to-head. Battle lines are drawn as The Dowager and cousin Isobel prepare to fight it out over the future of the hospital - who will come out on top? See what you think...

13:49 - 17 Aug 2015 What does the future hold for the family and servants at Downton Abbey? Sunday nights are about to get a whole lot more decadent as the new series of Downton Abbey fast approaches. If you can't wait to find out what happens then take a look at the latest pictures and see if you can uncover any clues. A fond farewell to Downton Abbey 15:30 - 26 Mar 2015 We can promise a final season full of all the usual drama and intrigue, but with the added excitement of discovering how and where they all end up... – Gareth Naeme, Executive Producer After five series of drama for the Crawleys, season six will see us bidding a fond farewell to the family and those who serve them in the final ever episodes of Downton Abbey.

Speaking about the show coming to a close, writer, creator and Executive Producer Julian Fellowes admitted: "People ask if we knew what was going to happen when we started to make the first series and the answer is that, of course we had no idea." But key storylines like Mary losing her beloved Matthew , Carson proposing to Mrs Hughes and Edith finally finding love (and tragically having it taken from her) have kept us all glued to our television screens over the last five years. It is these storylines and the quality of the production that have contributed to Downton Abbey becoming one of the most popular UK dramas of the decade and helped the show scoop a huge number of awards around the world. Downton Abbey will come to a close on Christmas Day 2015 on ITV - which will certainly be one to remember - but until then you can relive the highs, the lows and the most magical moments of the many seasons right here. Thank you for watching, laughing and crying with us.

Downton Abbey wins best drama at the NTAs 11:20 - 22 Jan 2015 Join us in a toast to the cast and crew of Downton Abbey as they scoop the award for Best Drama at The National Television Awards 2015. Phyllis Logan (Mrs Hughes) paid homage to the other sterling shows nominated, including Dr Who and Sherlock. “How amazing to be in that fantastic category, all absolutely wonderful dramas... I love them all." Creator Julian Fellows added “To receive this award after the fifth series is the greatest compliment we could imagine. And although a little surprised because of the quality of the other shows, nevertheless we are all incredibly grateful. “ Thanks to everyone who voted. We look forward to seeing you again at Downton Abbey later in the year.

ITV's head of drama Steve November on Victoria, the new series hoping to rival Downton Abbey | The Independent News ITV's head of drama Steve November on Victoria, the new series hoping to rival Downton Abbey Queen Victoria 'was once young, vivacious and mischievous, a fun, excitable, character who led the most extraordinary romantic life' Saturday 30 January 2016 22:12 BST Click to follow The Independent Culture Steve November: Viewers identify with characters from every era and class Micha Theiner The passing of Downton Abbey will leave such a hole in the ITV schedule come the autumn that the broadcaster has gone to the lengths of building its own Buckingham Palace. Like the mythical Downton, ITV’s Buck House is in rural Yorkshire; the aircraft hangers on former RAF base Church Fenton, outside Tadcaster is the site of the 100,000 square feet set for the epic series Victoria, which calls for a replica 19th-century palace. The ambitious project might salve the pain of British period drama fans when September comes – and Downton, which ended for good on Christmas Day , does not.

Downton Abbey movie: There is a 64.5% chance of it happening Viewers may have lost Michelle Dockery’s Lady Mary, but they will gain Jenna Coleman, the former Doctor Who star who plays the young queen. Coleman is one of several female leads cast by ITV this year as it contests television’s most competitive battleground: serial drama. With the BBC, in its fight for its future, showcasing itself with War and Peace, and Netflix and Amazon waving dollars at Britain’s leading actors and writers, ITV must up its game. The broadcaster has been rocked by the sudden departure this month of Peter Fincham, its inspirational director of television for eight years. Fincham championed Downton Abbey and restored ITV’s confidence, although its main channel lags behind BBC1 in the ratings. Fortunately, Steve November, ITV head of drama, has drawn up an impressive slate for 2016. Sitting in ITV’s 20th-floor boardroom overlooking the Thames near Waterloo, he explains the importance to ITV of strong “everywoman” characters.

Jenna Coleman plays the young queen (ITV) “There’s a great love for intriguing, exciting, strong female leads – they work very well for our audience,” he said. His “everywoman” does not rule out an aristocrat or even a ruler. “We want characters who we can empathise with and have a relationship with, who feel on a level with us, so that leads towards the everywoman/everyman type,” he said. “Victoria is about the most famous monarch and world leader ever, yet what makes it appealing is the common humanity in Victoria; we see her girlish excitement, we see her fall in love, we see her petulance and anger, and we empathise with it. It’s about the points where their lives touch ours.” This would also go for Marcella, a Metdetective played by Anna Friel in an eight-part drama which November commissioned from Hans Rosenfeldt, writer of cult Scandi drama The Bridge. “He’s doing his first English language drama for us,” he said. “It has all the twists, turns and intrigue to keep people guessing.” There is also an everywoman quality to Ellie Miller, Olivia Colman’s character in Broadchurch, which shoots its third series in the summer.

Writer Chris Chibnall – recently signed up to script Doctor Who – is “sequestered away, writing furiously”, said November. Downton Abbey series 6 1/8 Downton Abbey series 6 Mrs Hughes and Mrs Patmore ITV 2/8 Downton Abbey series 6 Cora Crawley (centre) with her two daughters Mary and Edith ITV 3/8 Downton Abbey series 6 The Downton under butlers 4/8 Downton Abbey series 6 Mr Carson and Mrs Hughes are engaged to tie the knot ITV 5/8 Downton Abbey series 6 Will Mr and Mrs Hughes' police case be dropped? ITV 6/8 Downton Abbey series 6 Mrs Crawley continues to wind up the Dowager Countess ITV 7/8 Downton Abbey series 6 What will the Dowager Countess say to tightening of the purse strings in the Crawley house?

ITV 8/8 Downton Abbey series 6 The sun sets on the final series of Downton Abbey ITV In Dark Angel, Joanne Froggatt (who played housemaid Anna Smith/Bates in Downton Abbey) stars as Britain’s first serial killer, the Victorian dressmaker Mary Ann Cotton. November said audiences are drawn to 19th-century themes, but that Victoria herself has been under served by television. “We are all fascinated by the Victorians and what they did for us yet, although there’s a film, The Young Victoria, and a film of [her later life] Mrs Brown, we have never really seen Victoria on TV.” He said the series was regarded as potentially one of many, documenting her 63 years on the throne. “I hate to jinx anything, but I hope we can return and take her through her reign,” he said. The series, created by Daisy Goodwin, will allow Coleman, to correct the idea that Victoria was dour.

November said: “The widow Victoria that we know in all those portraits, the rather prudish older woman, is completely misleading – she was once young, vivacious and mischievous, a fun, excitable, character who led the most extraordinary romantic life.” Read more ITV shows video of Ainsley Harriott during report on Sir Lenny Henry Many viewers, he said, would assume filming had taken place at Buckingham Palace: “I probably shouldn’t have said it’s a set, because I don’t think you would notice. It looks spectacular.” November, who began his career in ITV soap operas Coronation Street and Emmerdale, is known in television as the Iceman, and his original surname was the similarly wintry Frost; he changed it to take the name of his wife and her daughter. He has also commissioned Brief Encounters, a “feel good and very funny” drama series about the early years of Ann Summers parties. There are male leads too. Michael Gambon will star in Churchill’s Secret, about Sir Winston’s struggle to recover from a stroke in 1953. Rowan Atkinson will make a foray into straight acting as Georges Simenon’s detective in Maigret.

And if all this fails to fill the Downton void, November has one more ace up his sleeve. Julian Fellowes, creator of the Earl of Grantham and co, has handed in one of his passion projects, an adaptation of Anthony Trollope’s Doctor Thorne. “If somebody had said ‘Do you want to do a Trollope adaptation?’ I wouldn’t have leapt,” admitted November. “But when you are offered the Julian Fellowes version of Trollope and you start reading the script, it’s a joyously easy decision.” More about: Downton Abbey to end after six series - BBC News BBC News Downton Abbey to end after six series 26 March 2015 Image copyright ITV Image caption Downton Abbey first opened its doors in 2010 The next season of ITV's period drama Downton Abbey will be its last, its makers have announced. "Inevitably there comes a time when all shows should end and Downton is no exception," said the programme's executive producer Gareth Neame. Created by Julian Fellowes, the show follows an aristocratic family's fortunes from 1912 to the mid-1920s.

Hugh Bonneville and Elizabeth McGovern have played the Earl and Countess of Grantham since the show began in 2010. The drama has won a string of awards since its inception, including two Baftas, three Golden Globes and 11 Primetime Emmys. Its success both at home and abroad was recently demonstrated when the Duchess of Cambridge went to see it being filmed at Ealing Studios in west London 'Unique experience' "The Downton journey has been amazing for everyone aboard," said Lord Fellowes, whose next project will be The Gilded Age, a period drama set in New York. "People ask if we knew what was going to happen when we started to make the first series and the answer is that, of course we had no idea.

"Exactly why the series had such an impact and reached so many people around the world, all nationalities, all ages, all types, I cannot begin to explain." "But I do know how grateful we are to have been allowed this unique experience." Image copyright AFP Image caption The Duchess of Cambridge (centre) recently paid a visit to the Downton Abbey set Michelle Dockery, Jim Carter and Dame Maggie Smith are among other regulars on the show, which has seen both the masters and the servants at the titular stately home - actually Highclere Castle in Hampshire - deal with numerous tribulations. One of its most controversial storylines involved the rape of Joanne Froggatt's character Anna, while the sudden demise of Matthew Crawley (Dan Stevens) was greeted with dismay by the show's many fans. 'All the usual intrigue' More recently viewers have seen Bonneville's character bid farewell to his beloved dog Isis and both Anna and her husband (Brendan Coyle) face prison for the murder of her attacker. The show has also had a glitzy array of guest stars, among them Shirley MacLaine, Paul Giamatti, Richard E Grant and Nigel Havers.

"We wanted to close the doors of Downton Abbey when it felt right and natural for the storylines to come together and when the show was still being enjoyed so much by its fans," said Neame. "We can promise a final season full of all the usual drama and intrigue, but with the added excitement of discovering how and where they all end up." Peter Fincham, ITV's director of television, said the nine-episode sixth series would come to an end with a "concluding special" on Christmas Day. Speaking to journalists on Thursday, however, Neame did not dismiss talk of a potential film spin-off, saying it was "definitely something we're contemplating."

Question: Who has created the ITV serial 'Downton Abbey'?
Answer: JULIAN FELLOWES